1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of cultivar of the ornamental shrub, Lagerstroemia indica, commonly known as crape myrtle.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Most crape myrtle seedlings and cultivars flower early in the summer, set heavy seed crop and then flower sparsely the remainder of the growing season. Various attempts to develop improved varieties of the crape myrtle have been pursued commercially, including the issuance of several U.S. plant patents. For example, U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 4,182 through 4,185 disclose and claim a series of four new varieties of Lagerstroemia indica produced by crossing unnumbered or unnamed seedlings. Each of these new varieties was characterized as having a weeping growth habit at full maturity. Also, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,189 discloses a new variety of crape myrtle produced by crossing seed parent SL blue (color 1-13) with pollen parent XX 224 blue star-shaped (color 1-13) and again, exhibiting a weeping growth habit at full maturity. In U.S. Plant Pat. No. 2,551, a dwarf habit hybrid of Lagerstroemia indica and Lagerstroemia reginae was disclosed and claimed.
It is generally known that ethylmethane sulfonate, EMS, is capable of producing mutant growth in plants. EMS frequently induces sterility in the plant mutant and the mutants often have thicker than normal leaves and variegated flowers, with an occasional flower that is a solid color among the predominantly variegated flowers. The new variety of crape myrtle of the present invention is such a mutant.